Churches Helping Churches

“Those wishing to assist in Haiti relief efforts should be aware that despite their good intentions, travel to Haiti will increase the burden on a system already struggling to support those in need on the ground. Those wishing to volunteer their services are advised that Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) are reporting that their capacity to absorb additional volunteers is limited. Cash donations are the most effective way to help the relief effort in Haiti.”

US Department of State Travel Warning, June 24

When I was in undergrad, one of my best friends was hospitalized with a collapsed lung. We were blessed with a large community of friends who individually came to visit as soon as they heard the news. I was among the first to visit him at the crack of dawn; others started trickling in shortly after I left. Throughout the day, his hospital room became a revolving door of visitors—people who came to cheer him up, shower him with gifts, and pray for him. Soon enough, the doctors noticed that his recovery rate was slowing from the exhaustion. The blessing had become a curse. And somehow, I was stuck with the responsibility of asking visitors to no longer come.

I now find myself in a similar situation. One of the gut reactions so many individuals and churches have had to the earthquake in Haiti is, “How do I get over there and help?!” I’m going to ask that we pause and ask ourselves, “Is that the best way for us to help Haiti?” In some cases, the answer is a clear “Yes.” However, in many cases, the answer is a disinclined “No.”

These are difficult things – difficult to say, difficult to hear, and difficult to accept. But unless you are bringing a strategic skill set that is indispensible to Haiti, please reconsider going. With two-thirds of Haitians unemployed, there is plenty of general labor available. Additionally, each person who goes means an extra body and mouth at a time when housing accommodations and drinking water are scarce. That one extra accommodation may better benefit a homeless Haitian or a skilled foreign worker. A much more strategic contribution for your church would be to donate the money from your group to employ local Haitians to do work you were hoping to do.

With that in mind, Churches Helping Churches is going to rebuild the local churches with as much paid Haitian labor as possible. This not only meets the objectives of rebuilding the houses of the Lord, but it attacks poverty in a smarter way – through employment rather than handouts. Think about it: that worker now gets to purchase a snack from a street cart, that cart owner now gets to pay for his taxi ride, the taxi driver now… so on and so forth. That ripple effect contributes much more to the Haitian infrastructure than a week of free labor from an American would. It’s not a perfect model, but it’s better. What’s more, that local Haitian worker has now been introduced to a church. After having worked on a church alongside church members for a month, he or she just might be more inclined to check it out.

The Lord has gifted some of us in such a way that we want to be on the front lines and in the trenches. Sacrificing that immediate desire and that experience may be one of the best ways that we can serve Haiti’s recovery from the earthquake in the long-run.

So now, the burning question: How can you help?

1. Cash: We don’t need clothes, we don’t need books, we don’t need blankets. We need cash. Of the $5.3 billion that has been pledged to Haiti by foreign governments, only 2% has actually been given, so there is a great need for liquid assets on the ground. Any creative ways that you can use to raise and donate money will help build up the local church and employ local Haitians. We’ve posted CHC banners and graphics should you need them for fundraising purposes.
2. Prayer: Please join us in the prayer, “Lord, multiply our efforts, ideas, and money.”
3. Skilled workers: If you are an experienced architect or general contractor and are interested in volunteering, please contact us.

This response is specific to today’s relief landscape in Haiti. We’re not against short-term missions, and I don’t want to deflate the compassionate energy that the Lord has stirred up in us. I am pleading for us to prayerfully reconsider and redirect how that energy can be better channeled toward a new Haiti.

The truth in love,
Tom

But I do not account my life of any value nor as precious to myself, if only I may finish my course and the ministry that I received from the Lord Jesus, to testify to the gospel of the grace of God.

Acts 20:24

More thanks from Haitian pastors who attended the Churches Helping Pastors retreat in May in Port-au-Prince, as translated by Frantz Morisset, a pastor from the Haitian diaspora, and one of the retreat’s organizers.

“The conference helped me to understand better those who need my help in difficult times.” Jacmel Marigo

“This conference should continue through the country. It offers a great opportunity to spread the gospel and help pastors who find it difficult to answer to the needs of the times.” Petit Goave

“I am definitely better equipped to face actual problems. Thanks for the American brothers who came in these difficult times. Thanks.” Croix des Bouquets

“Thanks for your care… The methods used to make sure we learned ‘faith, hope, and love’ applied in the social context is quite appropriate. Being young, I hope to see this more often.” Foret des Pins

“I have learned much to help me with my trauma.” Anse-Rouge

“Thanks for this training ministry. Meeting with other leaders was excellent.” Saint Marc

“This retreat was so important. Wish we had more pastors.” St. Jean du Sud

“… I see I need to develop a great capacity to listen to others, with much attention… Thanks CHC and best wishes in the LORD.” Port Salut

“This conference should be for schools, churches, government officials. I have discovered my weaknesses and mistakes as a shepherd. I hope to receive more reading dealing with different catastrophes.” Bainet

“It was a good time of reflection. I have learned new ways to handle problems efficiently and how to listen to those suffering. My faith has been strengthened.” Bassin General

“I have been suffering a lot–headaches, unjustified fatigue, stress. At last this week I am really strong. The Spirit of the LORD is with me. Please do more of this kind of retreat.” Port-au-Prince

“I have been much impressed by the practical aspects of faith, hope and love. Thanks for all.” Petit Goave

“I received more than I expected. The subjects are quite appropriate: new vision, new approach to ministry. Repeat this retreat in other departments.” Jacmel

“Highly needed… wish we had more time.” La Palmiste

“Can’t wait to share with my friends. I became a de facto counselor on trauma for my church, now I am better equipped… need to have more for young people…” Cayes-Jacmel

“Thanks, thanks for your efforts. Please follow up. I understand the word of God better and how to use it in time of need.” Desjardines

“This conference was a compass for me. My ministry should improve.” Azile

“This conference [unpacks] things I knew little about. I see changes I need in my life, my behavior.” Cap-Haïtien

“May the Almighty bless you. He was the One leading you to this fruitful and blessed training ministry.” Saint-Marc

“Great retreat. Cannot go but forward. Thanks CHC, Thanks STEP and others who helped.” Anse Rouge

“Very touched. I will be more efficient in my new ministry. I will surely apply soon so many things taught.” Port-au-Prince

“It is comforting spiritually and mentally to understand disasters better from a biblical perspective. Wish to have more support for the sessions. Congratulations. Keep being strong in the LORD.” Carrefour

“I did not know before how to handle extreme crisis situation well. Now I am better-equipped to help not only my church but my community and my country in similar situation.” Jacmel

“Thanks. This seminar was good for young leaders like me.” Code de Fer

“This seminar changes my opinion. I understand better the role of leadership in distressful situations.” Port-au-Prince

“You were simply sent but God.” Petite Riviere de Nippes

“Very relevant, timely. Thank you CHC, STEP and others. I did not understand what had happened in Port-au-Prince, being from the South. I learned much about ministry in critical times of natural disasters. Thanks to the American team.” Camp Perrin

“This seminar was a motivation for me to be opened, keeping no secret to churches. It has challenged me to be a true pastor, to be honest about own struggles, pain and grief.” Liancourt

“Great. Do your best to get more pastors next time.” Les Cayes

“A real big gift. Great to add to what I already knew. The first day was hard on me. I am glad I stayed. A week of great spiritual blessing and great fellowship. Wonderful.” Arcahaie

“Hope to receive the materials not cleared by customs… Great to understand better natural phenomenon and God’s role…” Les Cayes

“I am becoming a new person. Great teaching, great teaching on counseling.” Baie-de-Henne

For more words of gratitude from the pastors and photos of the retreat, see this post. Thank you all for your support of CHC’s mission to rebuild the Church in Haiti. Know that the work continues there as we begin to replicate this retreat and the teaching sessions in other parts of the country, and we’d ask that you prayerfully consider continued support and prayer.

The following is a letter from Frantz Morisset, one of the retreat’s organizers. Frantz is a Haitian pastor and scholar who lives in the states.

Grace to all of you.  It was one month ago when we were on our way back to the US after spending the week in Haiti.  I am taking advantage of this occasion to say thank you for your marvelous work in my native country Haiti.  Thank you, in the names of the Haitian pastors in the Diaspora and of those who participated in the May pastors retreat. Rather than using my words, let me share with you a few of the hundreds of written comments from Haitian pastors at the retreat.

The Pastors in Their Own Words

“This conference has comforted me… It challenged me to help my community and my country… I am now committed to comfort not only members of my own church but to go beyond… Thank you LORD, you have sent me what I truly needed.” (Les Cayes)

“I was satisfied with my work and concern for church members before the conference … Now I see the need to love, to love more for a truly biblical ministry… I will assist the members of my church in a better way and be available to answer their questions” (Bois Pin, La Gonave)

“Thank you. The subjects have stimulated me to want more seminars. Thanks to the TEAM. May God continue to bless CHC.” (Delmas)

“The conference is changing my life and will change the way I used to lead the church. I am better equipped to administer it, to develop it spiritually, socially and economically… (Cote de Fer)

“Thanks to the conference, I have new friends and contacts… new direction”. (La Gonave)

“Thanks. I have learned to listen to others… I see the importance of counseling… my duty to help other leaders in proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ… Please, make plan to invite more people next year…” (126 Gros-Morne, Gonaives)

“Thank you CHC and STEP for the beautiful initiative. It was a week of training and encouragement and meeting other evangelical leaders” (Arcahaie)

“I have been comforted and will go back to share it… I see the need to be transparent to all, in all good conscience.” (Port-au-Prince)

“Thanks. I knew I was a servant of God… I learned that I need to develop it further for the harvest of Christ.” (Port-au-Prince)

“I have new vision, new attitude…I see the need for character change… Congratulations for such an important conference… I hope to see another one.” (Cerca-la-Source)

“Thanks for your efforts and your sacrifice to help us spiritually so to bear fruit, much fruit in the growth of the gospel in Haiti and be useful to others… May God bless CHC, the teachers.” (Charlotin)

“Thanks for this initiative… I have learned much to help my pastoral ministry… I need radical changes in my life… For sure, I am better equipped to help people in my community and especially those in the tent cities.” (Port-au-Prince)

“I did not want to come to Port-au-Prince… But I am glad I did, especially to witness the attention that our brothers from overseas showed toward us Haitians… The small groups were so edifying, so profitable… an ambiance of good brotherhood (fellowship).” (Les Cayes)

“I can summarize that it is the work of the Holy Spirit.” (Petion-Ville)

“Thanks! Thanks! Thanks CHC! I was so discouraged looking at my future and that of my family. Now, I have a better understanding of God and natural disasters. It is good to see there are people who love me… I need help for my family, they are suffering and I cannot help much. I was alone but now I see there are people who think of me… Thanks.” (Carrefour)

“If you can afford it, please have another conference in 3 months.” (Kenscoff)

“My understanding of the word of God has been reinforced… I have more enthusiasm for my pastoral ministry in my community… May God bless CHC and preserve/protect you from now and ever.” (Port-de-Paix)

“This conference challenges me to have more love, more tolerance, and more compassion for others. As I reflect on the love of the teachers for us, Haitians, it challenges me to do the same… Thanks.” (Aquin)

“I have a new vision for love, hope, and am more committed to plant new churches and get involved with my team in tent city ministries and assistance to victims.” (Cayes)

“I am better prepared to work with difficult people… Have this conference next year in the South and Grand’ Anse.” (Maniche)

“I have learned that I must be engaged in the tent city ministry… (Cayes)

“Good to learn about group counseling vs individual counseling… secular vs biblical counseling… Want to learn more. Plan to have more of this type of conference.” (Petit Goave)

“I appreciate the way the American brothers in Christ cared for us… (Ville des Coteaux)

“I always like new ideas… better understanding of the word of God… Thank you God. Thank you CHC.” (Port-au-Prince)

To be continued …

“Mesi” is Creole for “thank you,” a derivative of “merci” in French.

Yesterday, we met Pastor Emmanuel, of Mais Gate, Haiti. Pastor Emmanuel has served as the youth pastor at his church, La Bonne Nouvelle, for the last ten years. Today, he hear his word on the youth of Haiti, their faith and hopes, and how youth from abroad can encourage them.

“There are a lot of youth who were affected by this event who want a future. Right now, they’re pained to look to the future, because they’ve had everything taken away. I feel really troubled when I talk about Haiti’s situation because there are so many problems at every level: economic, political, cultural, sometimes spiritual.

Our schools hardly function anymore. The youth hope to go school, go to college, to have something to survive, buy food, find housing. They’re living on the margins. They feel alone because they’ve lost people close to them, their parents, their schools.

Now, some schools are reorganizing. But these schools are starting to reopen, they’re asking that the children pay tuition each month and no one has any money. It costs $50 for one month of school for a 15-year-old. Public schools are almost non-existent and the ones that exist are all facing terrible problems and are all about to close anyway.

So I tell the youth to have hope in God and in prayer. And it’s in prayer that they can take hope in a greater soul.

What I would like to share with other youth from other countries, is to come visit our youth, to give them a new sense of hope, to encourage them in their suffering. Because the way of hope in Haiti has obstacles and darkness.

After January 12, we had so many countries that came to help us, so we really saw that we can really count on our friends from the exterior. When we see Haiti in the news–on CNN, BBC, and all the big press agencies from all over the world–it will open the youth’s eyes to see that Haiti counts in the eyes of the international community. That pluri-cultural exchange would renew a lot of hope among our youth.

Hope isn’t something you can see, but if youth come from the outside and encourage us, the Haitian youth will think, There is hope. We can rebuild. It’s those words that those youth from the exterior are going to tell us. Haiti has a second chance, it can rise from the ashes, it can have hope. So, let’s do it!

The best thing for foreigners to do is to integrate themselves in the daily life of the Haitians, help them and counsel them. Integration means sleeping, living, eating with the Haitians, helping us in our daily lives. The foreigners can share with us their story and their way of life, the Bible, how they see the gospel, how they see the church of today. It’s important to have people who speak French (and we try to have people who speak English) so that there are good translators.

We have such similar praise and worship styles, too. Sometimes we sing American-style worship songs in English.

Our brothers should think of coming to see us and really see how we live. And, I’d like to send a really big thank you for participation from this mission [CHC].

I think of Matthew. “I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.” That’s that Jesus visiting, Jesus is the living example. And he encourages us to do it, too.”

In three days, Haitian pastors will arrive in Port-au-Prince for the Churches Helping Pastors retreat. Here’s what we need prayer for:

• That the shipping container will make it off the boat and clear customs in time for Monday.
• That political unrest and protests would not deter pastors from traveling to Port-au-Prince for the retreat.
• For the hearts of the pastors who will attend and those who will be ministering to them.

On Friday of last week, we hit a major milestone in our preparation for this conference: We shipped off a 40-foot container out of Miami.

But now we’ve got problems again: They’re not letting the container off the boat in Port-au-Prince so it can be processed through customs. Originally, we were expecting to have the container clear customs on Monday next week, the day our retreat starts.

The materials inside that container are critical for the conference. Here’s what’s inside:

• Proclaimers: In a place where 1 out of every 2 people is illiterate, this is how you get the Word of God to them: solar-powered audio Bibles.  Faith Comes by Hearing, the manufacturer of these products, is giving one to each attendee of this conference.
• Haitian trauma books: David C. Cook has a 500-page counseling trauma kit.  It was adapted to Haiti and translated into Creole.  The first versions came off the press on Wednesday and were dropped shipped to Miami in time to ship for the container closing on Thursday.  This is a phenomenal resource: Scripture-saturated, group discussion oriented, and knowledgeable.  CHC is helping pay for the translation of these materials.  Each pastor at the conference will receive one.
• Tent: 5,000-square foot event tent and 250 cots: This will serve as one big bedroom where all the pastors will sleep.
• Mosquito repellent: Malaria, typhoid fever, and dengue fever. Need we say more?

A special thanks to Boca Raton Community Church.  All of this inventory was held there while we made shipping arrangements.  They used their staff and small groups to load the container before sending it off.  We could not have done this without you, thanks.

Any amount of time this container is delayed directly affects the conference. Please pray this process is resolved quickly and the retreat can go on uninhibited.

In one week, 200 Haitian pastors will come to Port-au-Prince from all regions of this tiny Caribbean nation for a week of healing. At this event, they will receive counseling and be ministered to as they personally recover from the trauma of the Jan. 12 earthquake.

Below is a partial list of the pastors who will be attending next week. Leave your prayers for them and the others at the bottom of this page. These prayers will be compiled into a small booklets that will be handed out to each pastor at the retreat so they can see all that has been prayed for them.

Please keep these pastors on your hearts during this intense time. Pray that they will be renewed and equipped, so that they can, in turn, go out and minister to the Haitians in each of their churches and communities as the country rebuilds.

“The biggest blessing which our country needs it is that of a spiritual awakening of the church of Jesus Christ, and it will have to begin with the leaders. … Needed are new leaders for a new church, a new church for a new society, a new society for a new Haiti.“

Below is an excerpt of a letter from a pastor in Haiti. Let it be a portal to peer into the lives of ministers who are plagued with burdens – their own and their people, pre-earthquake and the flood that came post-earthquake. Let it also serve as a source of encouragement—that amidst it all, while many are trying to flee the country, he is committed to staying. Pray for him, pray for pastors like him, and pray for Churches Helping Churches as we finalize our first major response.

For a new Haiti,
Tom

***

Dear friend,

I regret that I could not write you after the terrible event of January 12, which devastated Port-au-Prince. I have definitely appreciated all of your phone calls.

Since last December I have been suffering from pains in the neck, shoulder and right hand. I could barely sleep at night, but I still managed to take care of my responsibilities at the seminary and at the church during the day. At the beginning of January, my doctor referred me to an orthopedist who diagnosed that I suffered from osteoarthritis. But, the medication and collar he prescribed did not relieve my pains.

Meanwhile, the earthquake of January 12 occurred. That day I could not go to teach because of the pains. I would have been in the building of the campus that collapsed. Divine providence! At the time of the earthquake, I was at home in pain, my wife was in a taxi, and the children were at their schools. And God saved us all. He also saved our temple, which could withstand the shocks. However, our school building can no longer be used.

What saddens us most is that more than twenty of the faithful members of the church died. Some at home, others at their schools. Many others lost their houses. A deacon lost his wife, his two children and his mother-in-law. An assistant-pastor lost his wife, one of his children and his mother-in-law. Another assistant-pastor lost all his possessions in the home he was renting. A brother lost his wife while she was in a car at the time of the earthquake. Several members of the youth group died in their schools. So was true of the ladies group. That profoundly saddened us. In spite of my pains, I was on the streets visiting some brothers and sisters of the church. They spent their days and their nights on the street.

On Sunday, January 24, we had our first worship service after the earthquake in the courtyard of the church. It was a time filled with emotions. I preached on the love of God, reminding people of the words of the apostle Paul that “nothing can separate us from the love of God demonstrated in Jesus Christ.”

After that Sunday, I began feeling sharper pains, and this, continuously. One evening, it was a severe crisis. It seems that the days spent sleeping in the car had aggravated my condition. The doctor recommended hospitalization. But, since no hospital was available, I stayed in my tent under the care of two nurses for five days. I thank the Lord for those sisters who were available for me.

After my release from the “hospital,” i.e. from my tent, the pains persisted. It appeared that my body could no longer respond positively to the medication. The doctor urged me to be patient. After two X-rays, he referred me to a physiotherapist. I have to undergo twelve sessions of therapy for a month while taking the drugs prescribed by the orthopedist. I am beginning to see a big improvement. And as evidence, I can now write this letter with my right hand. I hope that in a month I will be able to return to my normal activities at the church.

Now, God puts before us a new challenge. How to help so many people to recharge their batteries after so much suffering? We now have a group of absolutely discouraged believers. Young people do not believe any more in the future. Those who could, they have gone to the cities away from Port-au-Prince, to their birthplaces. Others left the country for the United States, Canada and the Dominican Republic, with all their emotion and without any prior planning. I must work with those who stayed and those who will hopefully return. I already think that I must have a week of retreat during the summer with the youth to help them build up their trust and return to a normal life. I count on your prayers for an effective ministry.

Together in the grapevine of the Master.

Prayer Requests for Haiti

Pray that we can serve where we are needed, as reports indicate that so many pastors are dead and churches destroyed that those Christians seeking to grieve and serve need much support.

Pray that we can forge some solid bonds with the best local churches and international relief agencies on the ground.

Pray for the ongoing generosity of people around the world sending in support and supplies.

Pray for the complicated task of getting supplies to needy people when roads are not passable, and only a quarter of the country’s roads were paved before the earthquake.

Pray for the hearts, minds, and souls of the people, who are reportedly 80 percent Catholic and 16 percent Protestant, while roughly 50 percent also practice voodoo.

Pray for the rebuilding of the city of Port-au-Prince as prior to the earthquake it was the poorest country in the Western hemisphere, with 80 percent of people under the poverty line and 54 percent in abject poverty with a Gross Domestic Product per capita of only $1,300 with two-thirds of the labor force not even having a formal job.

Pray for protection for disease, as the spread of hepatitis A and E, typhoid, malaria, leptospirosis, and dengue fever is a reality as conditions worsen.

Pray against civil unrest that would further promote chaos.

Pray for the government which has lost many of its buildings and leaders.

Pray for the safety of the people, since some of the jails and prisons are now emptied and dangerous criminals are running the streets without police patrol to contain them.

Pray we get home safely and can take what we learn to help encourage churches and Christians to strategically pray and give of their resources for the long haul, as this will not be a short rebuilding effort.

Pray for the children as roughly half of Haiti’s population is reportedly children.

Pray that Christians will help bolster the remaining churches in Haiti and support the planting of many more Jesus-centered churches so that the people of Haiti can see the gospel rise out of the devastation.

Pray for us as a plan is forming for churches helping churches in places where war and disaster have struck.

We will pray and seek God’s direction for a way to rally churches around the idea of an organization existing for the sole purpose of helping the church help church. Down the road, there will be more needs of this kind and we want to be prepared to work together in our relief efforts on behalf of the churches that do so much, but often such receive so little.

Answered Prayer from Trip to Haiti, January 18-19, 2010

Pray we can get some great stories on video about what God is doing in order to help encourage God’s people around the world to be generous and help those in need.

Pray we can get great photos and other video footage to give away online, to give to Christian agencies who could use it to help get the need out, and to give to mainstream media outlets showing the difference the church and God’s people are making as well as all that remains to be done. There has been a great deal of great media coverage, and we want to add to it some of the stories of God’s people doing God’s work to encourage more of God’s people to support that work.

Going to Haiti early this week to see first hand and assess what can be done to meet the needs of the church in the toughest areas.

We will bring a team to help us capture this story so we can bring it back to you.

We will activate a website churcheshelpingchurches.com. The goal of this site will be to share what we discover and to raise support from churches in North America for the church in Haiti.

We need your prayers for the effectiveness of this first step and invite you to follow our updates on this site and on Twitter while we are in Haiti.